Tutoring used to be perceived as being sort of like psychotherapy ? a remedy for a defect, only needed if there was a problem. More and more, though, as the weaknesses of traditional education become more clear and the public school system becomes more financially burdened, tutoring, particularly online tutoring, is coming to be seen as something that can supplement any student’s education and even help exceptional students to excel. Here are just six of the unique ways that online tutoring can benefit any student.

1. One-on-One Attention

Most students in schools today suffer from attention deficit disorder: a deficit of attention from teachers. Even before the economic recession became big news teachers were overburdened, with too many students and too few resources. Recent financial changes have only made this situation worse as government budgets have dried up from the local to the federal level, meaning there are fewer teachers employed, with fewer resources available to them, making it impossible for even the saintliest of teachers to appropriately manage the sheer number of students they are expected to teach, inspire, lead, and be responsible for the well being and personal development of on a daily basis.

An online tutor is able to provide one-on-one attention, after hours, in the comfort of the student’s home. Not only is this a more effective teaching environment for the tutor, who can effectively meet the student’s needs without interference, it is also a more effective learning environment for the student, who doesn’t have to suffer the burdens of social pressure or incessant distractions.

2. Relationships

Partly because of the comfortable, one-on-one learning environment, partly because of similarity of perspective, and partly because of other, intangible factors, it tends to be easier for a student to bond with a tutor, even an online tutor, than with a teacher. Unlike a teacher, a tutor doesn’t have to see to the needs of two dozen other students at the same time or double as an authority figure. Likewise, rather than handing down knowledge from on high, a tutor is able to remember what it was like to be a student (or may even still be a student!) and is able to relate more easily to a student’s perspective than a teacher who has to maintain a veneer of discipline and adulthood.

3. Self Esteem

Since a teacher has to present material to a whole class of students at once and doesn’t have time to tailor presentation methods to individual students, invariably with any concept presented in the classroom there are some students who ?get it? and some who don’t. This tends to make the students who get it feel ?smart? and the ones who don’t get it feel ?dumb?. The limitations of the teacher’s methods tend to get internalized by the students who don’t ?get it?, who come to accept them as limitations of their own learning ability. In reality, if the material was presented in a different way, the ?dumb? kids would get it and the ?smart? kids wouldn’t! By presenting concepts in a way that is natural for the student to understand, a good tutor is able to permanently boost a student’s self esteem and learning ability, not by telling them that they are ?smart? but by proving it!

4. Availability

A tutor, especially an online tutor, can be available as much or as little as a student needs, and can be available at any time. Teachers generally don’t work after hours, but tutors are generally available whenever the student needs them, and with on online tutor you don’t even have the potential inconvenience of having to meet with somebody or having to leave your home.

5. Selection

One benefit that online tutoring can provide that even in-person tutoring can’t is selection. Choosing to use an online tutor makes tutoring talent from all over available to you, making it easier for you to find a tutor whose personality and skills are a good match for your particular needs.

6. Price

Having a wide selection of tutors available from all over also means that you can be more assured of getting a good value. If you pay for an in-person tutor, not only will you be limited to a locally available selection, you will also have to pay for their gas (and yours, if you meet them somewhere).

These are just some of the reasons that an online tutor can be a valuable educational resource for any student. Combining the one-on-one attention and relatability of a traditional tutor with the ease of availability and selection provided by the Internet can make greater educational achievements a reality.

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